Wasp excluder for air brakes



c. A. CAMPBELL ,046,058

- WASP EXCLUDER FOR AIR BRAKES Filed Dec. 29, 1932 Y -ML.

. (Ittornegs Zinventor Patented June 30, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT WASP EXCLUDER FOR AIR BRAKES Application December 29, 1932, Serial No. 649,425

5 Claims. (Cl. 3031) OFFICE This invention relates to air brakes, and particularly to devices intended to prevent wasps and similar insects from clogging the exhaust ports of retaining valves and the like.

Certain varieties of Wasps and related insects are attracted by small apertures which they can enter and which they utilize to house and protect their nests. There have been many cases where mud nests built by wasps have completely blocked the exhaust ports of triple valves, with the result that, after the brakes were once applied, they could not be released. This is a dangerous condition leading to damage, to the rolling stock and possible derailment.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an excluding fixture of a rugged and inexpensive type, which not only completely protects the exhaust port against the entrance of wasps, but further provides exhaust fiow over such an extended area that it is unlikely ever to be clogged.

The device thus not only conceals and protects the exhaust port, but also renders it virtually impossible for the exhaust port to be obstructed.

The desired results are secured by making use of a tubular fixture which is closed at its outer end and which has exhaust ports in the form of narrow, substantially radial slots. It is important that these slots be extremely narrow, and it is desirable that they be sharp at their outer edges or at least not filleted.

The fixture above described is preferably removably mounted in the exhaust port by any suitable means, such as a pipe nipple provided with a Wrench grip.

Referring now to the, accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is an elevation of the retainer, showing the improved wasp excluder applied;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the excluder;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation thereof; and

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal, axial section, the plane of section being indicated by the line 4-4 in Fig. 3.

To provide means for mounting the excluder in place to permit its ready removal upon occasion, the excluder is carried on a nipple 6, shown as formed with the usual pipe threads. It is screwed into place by means of any suitable Wrench grip l, which might assume a variety of forms, but is illustrated in the drawing as hexagonal. It is understood that the nipple 5 is threaded into the exhaust port of a retaining valve indicated generally by the numeral 8 in Fig. 1. Where a retaining valve is not used, the fitting may be screwed directly into the exhaust port of the triple valve, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Projecting from the outer side of the wrench grip l, in substantial alignment with the axis of the nipple 6, is the tubular shell 9 having a closed end I I and a bore [2 which communicates through the nipple 6 with an exhaust port, for example the exhaust port of the retaining valve 8. A plurality of narrow, substantially radial slots l3 extend through the cylindrical wall of extension 9 and communicate directly with the bore 12, thus forming long, narrow exhaust ports leading from the bore l2. These slots are made as narrow as it is commercially practicable to make them, and they are preferably produced by a sawing operation.

It will be observed that the saw kerfs or slots 53 extend through the end wall I I of extension 9, but do not reach to the center thereof. In this way, the necessary degree of rigidity is secured.

The use of saw kerfs as exhaust slots is considered important, because they produce an extremely narrow slot and one having a sharp edge. The narrower the slot can be made, the less attractive it appears to be to the wasp, and, if the edges of the slots were rounded or filleted, it would, in effect, widen them.

The use of the device will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. The particular mode of mounting the wasp excluder in position in the exhaust port is not considered material. The pipe threaded nipple with wrench grip is a simple and convenient form and is believed to be the one best adapted for use in practice. The invention, however, resides in the form of the excluder and not in the specific mode of mounting it in place.

What is claimed is:-

1. As a new article of manufacture, an exhaust fitting for repelling nesting insects, comprising in combination a body having an attaching portion and a smooth surfaced extension, said body having a bore extending through said attaching portion and through a part of said extension but terminating short of the end of said extension; and at least one narrow slot extending through the wall of the extension into communication with said bore, and arranged to preserve the smooth surface characteristic of said extension.

2. As a new article of manufacture, an exhaust fitting for repelling nesting insects, comprising in combination a body having an attaching portion and an extension having a smooth surfaced exterior, said body having a bore extending through said attaching portion and through a part of said extension but terminating short of the end of said extension; and a plurality of widely spaced non-intersecting slots extending through the wall of said extension into communication with said bore, said slots being sharp-edged and of such narrow width as substantially to preserve the smooth surfaced characteristic of the extension.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a fitting for repelling nesting insects, comprising a body having a portion formed to enter and connect,

with the terminal portion of an exhaust port, and an externally smooth surfaced portion adapted to project beyond said connecting portion, and to be laterally exposed when the fitting is mounted in such exhaust port, said body having a substantially uniform bore adapted to communicate with said port and extending through the body but terminating short of the outer end thereof, and

a series of spaced narrow slots extending through the lateral wall of said smooth surfaced portion into communication with said bore.

4. The combination defined in claim 3, in which said projecting portion is substantially cylindrical and in which said slots are substantially radial with respect thereto.

5. An exhaust fitting adapted for insertion in the threaded exhaust ports of air brakes and the like, comprising a body having threads to fit the threads of the exhaust port, a bore extending partway through the body and at least one narrow sharp edged slot formed in said body, communicating with said bore and forming therewith a flow passage through said body, the surface of said fitting which is adjacent said slot and exposed when in use being smooth.

CHARLES A. CAMPBELL. 

